Electrical connectors are commonly used to establish mechanical and electrical interconnections in modern electronic devices. Such connectors typically comprise a male connector portion having a rigid, fixed pin which interconnects with a corresponding female connector portion having a spring-biased, moveable contact. Such connectors may include a single pin/contact pair, but more typically comprise several (or even several tens of) pin/contact pairs.
Of the multitude of electrical connectors presently in use, one well known variety relates to signal interconnection, whereby data in the form of analog or digital voltages and corresponding currents are transferred from one electronic device to another. Another well known variety of electrical connectors relates to power delivery, whereby voltage and current are applied from a source device to a load device by way of the electrical connector.
It will be recognized that reliable interconnection between pins and contacts of a connector is necessary to ensure proper operation of an electrical device relying upon signals or power transmitted through the connector. In the field of disc drives, for example, the advent of personal computers has caused the migration of such devices out of carefully controlled, isolated computer-room environments to the "real-world" of home and office where mechanical shocks, vibration and large temperature variations are frequently encountered. Owners of portable computers are likely to take and operate their computers in a wide variety of environments and thus require ever increasing levels of reliability from their machines. As disc drives typically include a number of both power and signal connectors, it is crucial that all such connectors retain solid interconnections in view of such environmental and mechanical conditions to ensure reliable operation of the drives.
A connector contact typically includes a conductive portion that is fashioned so that a solid mechanical connection is established when the associated connector pin is brought to bear thereagainst when the connector pair is mated. It is common to form at least a portion of the contact as a spring so that the conductive portion of the contact is forced against the pin. However, it has been found difficult in many instances to adequately control and maintain this contact force at a desirable level. If too much contact force is provided, the pins or the contacts can be physically damaged when the pin is inserted; conversely, if insufficient contact force is provided, the connector may subsequently exhibit intermittent mechanical and electrical interconnection, adversely affecting the operation of the associated electronic device.
Moreover, both contacts and pins are often relatively easy to bend or deform, especially when the pins are improperly inserted or after the connector has been mated and unmated a number of times. Thus, while connector reliability is crucial to facilitate reliable device operation, it is often difficult to ensure that adequate contact force has been established and will be subsequently maintained during device operation.
Accordingly, as users become increasingly dependent upon the availability of their electronic devices, improvements in the art are continually needed to ensure that reliable interconnections are maintained within such devices.